This course in Community Relations is intended as an extensive, in depth exploration of the policing component of the Criminal Justice System.  

This course will examine the relationships, both inter and intra, along with role expectations for the policing system and the community it serves. 

Primary emphasis will be placed on the professional image of the criminal justice system in general and the policing component in specific in interaction with its community and attendant constituency and stakeholders.         

This course of instruction is designed as a student group directed, instructor facilitated, education and learning effort into the criminal justice system about subjects, you the student have an interest in the area of POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY.   As such, you, the student, organize and direct the course based on your areas of interest.  The instructor will ASSIST you in your efforts.  This course is designed as TOTAL student participative.  IF you are uncomfortable in this type of educational and learning setting, this course may not be for you.

Preliminary Topical areas    -       General

History of the police and the police organization

Policing systems and functions

Police culture and the Code of Ethics

The Rule of law in law enforcement

Enforcing the law and keeping the peace

The law of arrest, search and seizure:  Police and the U.S. Constitution

Issues and ethics

Beyond the limits of the law:  Police Crime, corruption and brutality

Community based Policing and Problem oriented policing

The domain of private security:  ASIS - security management

Preliminary topical areas - specifically

Police organizations:  the police and the district attorney

Operational issues:    weed and seed,  broken windows theory, Comstat and beyond - minority report.

Community needs, councilmanic actions, allocated positions, budgetary considerations, recruitment, hiring, training, ethics and professionalism.

Community needs and desires:    consent decrees and police accountability - review boards.

The issue of training: the stress or non stress academy setting, the code of ethics, the academy process.

The officer returns from training: the field training officer, the training supervisor.

Officer supervision, retention and upward mobility - promotions.

The Citizen's academy as part of the organization's training package - training the community.

Police discretion - are pre textual stops by the police unconstitutional?

Forms and nature of police conduct:  use of force; the force continuum.

Solving the problem - criminal justice system, police, district attorney and the community.  The awkward agreement: protect and serve.

Ethnicity, race and law enforcement:  the legally disenfranchised - profiling.

Police and juvenile justice:  from In re Gault, to California's proposition 21, to Florida and South Carolina - juveniles tried as adults.

Police Unions:  the emergent militancy of -

Homeland Security:  USA Patriot Act

Case studies:  Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Tyisha Miller, Donavan Jackson, Devin Quincy Brown.

Write me a story about you:  who are you, why taking this class, career aspirations, email address, phone number for contact.  25 points.  Due:

PLEASE NOTE - ALL FACT BASED, SUBJECT MATTER ESSAYS ARE THOROUGHLY ANALYZED BY TURNITIN.COM TO INSURE A LACK OF PLAGARISM.  AS SUCH, INSURE THAT YOUR WORK PRODUCT IS PROPERLY CITED AND SOURCED. 

Paper heading:   Title of paper, Community Relations and the Police - time, day, section, Instructor's name - Dr. Oliver M. Thompson, date of paper, your name not your e-mail address.   100 points.

TOPICAL AREAS - for example:

Personnel - The Hiring Process.

Community Needs.

Training.

Use of Force.

Your group paper must cover the following categorical areas at a MINIMUM -

Why the topic?

What were your thoughts going into this topical area?

What did your research tell you? 

What were your findings? 

The presentation - how was the topical area divided, who took which area and why? 

Where should this research go from here?  

Make sure your paper is properly cited - bibliography, with appropriate hyperlinks. 

This is a group presentation - every group member MUST participate in the discussion. 

I am to receive one finished copy of the presentation, one type font, properly headed, by - .  Your group presentation should take a minimum of 45 minutes and a maximum of 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Paper 100 points, presentation 100 points.

Examinations:  approximately 6 examinations, 50 points per, ON LINE, WEB CT.

Biography sketch - 25 points.

Essay - U.S. Constitution  50 points.